


*insert cliché title about inner beauty*

by aMass0fvoices



Series: Mer prompts [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: M/M, Pitch Pearl, but yay!, its mermaids, mer courting, technically mermen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28297230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aMass0fvoices/pseuds/aMass0fvoices
Summary: Phantom has been around for a while. Because of his appearance, he spends his time pining from afar.Until one day, when the object of his affections confronts him.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom, Pitch Pearl - Relationship
Series: Mer prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107206
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	*insert cliché title about inner beauty*

**Author's Note:**

> Id been feelin kinda sad a few weeks ago, so I wrote pitch pearl mer courting to cheer myself up! The ending feels a little weird to me, so I might go back and mess with it.  
> Also! The idea for this came from mer-prompts on tumblr!

Phantom sighed dreamily as he watched his pearl dart around the canyon, placing any interesting shells or rocks in his small fish-net bag. The way his eyes lit up when he found something shiny, the way his face twisted into a look of pure joy when he saw Phantom’s courting gifts, the beautiful noise of his laugh, the way his fins curled when he was excited.

It was all so distinctly _Danny_.

And Phantom didn’t deserve to witness any of it. What right did a monster have to long for such a precious gem like Danny?

His pearl was beautiful, perfect in every word, and Phantom was… _monstrous_.

Phantom’s beauty --or lack there-of-- was less than a fourth of Danny’s. He had two pairs of arms armed with matte black claws. His face was constantly lit with his twelve toxic green eyes, his pure white hair sometimes appearing a pale green. He had teeth like a shark, and his bottom jaw could split in half in order to consume larger prey.

His appearance had scared off so many mers before Danny, and Phantom wasn’t taking any chances this time.

He’d been courting his pearl for a little over a year, and while Phantom enjoyed watching the other mer explore and play, Danny hadn’t the slightest idea who was courting him.

Phantom was always careful to leave Danny gifts only when the other was asleep. He’d find large gemstones deep inside caves, hunt for giant clams to leave his pearl one Danny would treasure. Phantom would place his gifts beneath a large shell he’d written messages onto, and place them just outside Danny’s nest.

A few times lately, Phantom would find Danny asleep on his tail, trying to catch a glimpse of the one courting him. The mer would always fall asleep before he caught sight of Phantom, and Phantom wanted it to stay that way. Even if Danny always looked heartbroken whenever he woke up to a gift and not his admirer.

After so many lost loves scared away by his looks, Phantom’s heart was easily broken. He didn’t think he could handle his pearl rejecting him.

And so he pined from afar, leaving Danny beautiful gifts in place of himself. So it went for nearly a year and a half. Until one night…

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phantom swam slowly up to Danny’s nest, his sensitive ear fins listening for his pearl’s breathing inside the cave. In his clawed hands, Phantom held a large sapphire he’d traded a dragon mer for. It reminded him of Danny’s beautiful eyes, and his shell note said as much.

Danny wasn’t waiting near the entrance tonight, his slow breathing coming from the back of his nest. Phantom ignored the stab of disappointment in his heart.

As he went to leave the gift in his usual spot, however, he found it already occupied with something.

There, nestled amongst the kelp Danny normally waited in, was a large shell, laying next to it a small pearl. The shell was delicately carved with a message, and Phantom’s heart sank. Did Danny want Phantom to leave him alone? Was he finally tired of waiting for Phantom to show himself? Was the pearl some sort of parting gift to lessen the pain of rejection?

One shaky hand held the shell as his eyes read it slowly, his mood gradually lifting as he read the message once more, this time out loud.

_‘My faceless suitor,_

_Hi! It’s me, Danny! It feels strange to be writing a note for you, but I wanted to tell you something important. I understand that you don’t want me to see your face. I don’t know why exactly, but from now on I’ll respect your wishes (Not that I’m gonna like it! just let me love you! >:/ ) _

_And also! I know you’ve been leaving me pearls for a while now, and I’m sorry I took so long to respond, but if it’ll help you trust me more, I accept! Just, try to be patient with me. I’ve never had a mate before, let alone one as unorthodox as you. Not that that’s a bad thing! Anyway, I’m running out of room, so, bye!’_

Phantom felt conflicted. On the one hand, he had no idea pearls held any sort of significance, specifically in regards to mating. And he’d given Danny multiple!

On the other hand… Danny had accepted. Danny didn’t even know what he looked like, and he had still accepted. 

For a few minutes, Phantom just floated in front of Danny’s nest, staring at the pearl in his other hand. It was small, barley larger than a sea turtle’s egg. It was a pale white, even when lit by Phantom’s eyes. He felt himself tearing up.

Phantom clutched the pearl to his chest, nodding to no one and weeping tears of joy.

Then something tackled him from behind. The sapphire and his own shell flew out of his hands, drifting to the floor somewhere inside Danny’s nest. Danny’s gifts, however, Phantom held tight to his chest, refusing to let them go.

He tried to spin and face his attacker, but they still clung to his back. Phantom turned his head to snarl at them, and was instead met with a familiar face.

Danny’s hair was strewn wildly about his head, and his blue eyes were shiny with tears. What confused Phantom was his wide grin and loud, joyful laughter.

“It’s you it’s you it’s you it’s you! Oh, you have no idea how happy I am that you accepted! When you saw the pearl, you looked so disappointed. I thought for sure I’d messed it all up. But you said yes!”

Danny laughed some more before he let go and swam around to Phantom’s front. He looked at Phantom’s face, tears still in his eyes, before Danny surged forward and hugged him. The smaller mer nuzzled Phantom’s chin, Danny’s ear fins scrunching up and tickling at Phantom’s neck. 

Phantom was still too shocked to do anything, and Danny worriedly pulled away. 

“I didn’t ruin it, did I? Do you still wanna be mates?”

Phantom blinked. 

“Of course I do! But… do you? Even after…” he trailed off, gesturing to himself.

“Why would that change anything?” Danny asked. “If anything, I’m surprised you’re even interested in me. Compared to you and everyone else, I’m duller than a tuna. Before you, I honestly thought I’d never find someone.”

Danny swam back to Phantom —who returned the hug this time— both nuzzling the other’s face. 

Danny continued, “But none of that matters now. Because I have a mate!”

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn’t figure out how to fit it in, but Danny had one of his friends sleep in his nest so that Phantom thought he was asleep.  
> (There was also a deleted scene where Dash told Danny to shut up about his mate then got scared shitless by Phantom)


End file.
